JP6699319B2 - Advertisement providing system, print control system, advertisement providing method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique of outputting an advertisement when printing a document.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, image forming apparatuses in which functions such as copy, network print, fax, scan, and file server are integrated have become widespread. Such an image forming apparatus is called a "multi-function peripheral" or "MFP (Multi Function Peripherals)".

  In addition, conventionally, a system has been proposed in which an advertisement fee is collected from an advertiser by printing a document on a sheet together with an advertisement, thereby reducing the printing cost burden on the user.

  Alternatively, with the spread of digital signage technology, a system has been proposed in which an advertisement fee is collected by displaying an advertisement on the display of an image forming apparatus, and the burden of printing cost on the user is reduced.

  For example, according to the advertisement distribution system described in Patent Document 1, the advertiser terminal connects to the server of the advertisement distribution company, extracts a copying machine that meets the conditions of the advertisement distribution destination, and creates and registers a distribution advertisement. To do. Also, an advertisement number is given to the created advertisement, and the advertisement is distributed to the extracted copying machines. When a copier user outputs an advertisement and uses it in an advertiser store or the like, the advertiser feeds back the advertisement number given to the advertisement to the server. Deliver advertisements with special contents to copiers that frequently use advertisements. Also, by returning the advertising number, the advertising fee will be returned to the advertiser and the maintenance fee of the copying machine will be discounted.

  The image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-242242 is a digital copying machine having a function of connecting to a network, and a combining circuit for combining an original image read by a CCD with an image for composition downloaded from a network to a composition image memory. Is provided and, for example, the image for composition is used as the advertisement image from the image providing server.

JP, 2004-213182, A JP, 11-192760, A

  In recent years, cloud printing technology has been proposed. According to this technique, the cloud print server receives document data from the terminal device via the Internet. The received data is appropriately converted into a specific language and transmitted to the image forming apparatus. Then, the image forming apparatus prints the document on paper based on the data received from the cloud print server.

  Thus, new techniques for printing documents have been proposed. It is desirable for advertisers and users to show more suitable advertisements to users. This is because the effect of the advertisement can be further enhanced for the advertiser, and the user is more likely to come into contact with the information of interest.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to provide an advertisement suitable for a user in cloud print more reliably than ever before.

An advertisement providing system according to an aspect of the present invention is an advertisement providing system that outputs an advertisement when a document is printed by a printing device, and includes a first position of a command source that instructs to print the document and the If the distance from the second position where the printing device is installed exceeds a predetermined distance, or if the first position and the second position belong to different areas, the printed matter of the document is received. Display means for displaying a screen requesting the command source to specify the intended recipient, and outputting an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the designated recipient when the document is printed by the printing device. And output means.

  Preferably, the output means outputs the advertisement by displaying the advertisement on the display if the printing apparatus has a display, or transfers the advertisement to the recipient's terminal device or the document if not provided. Output by printing with.

  A print control system according to an aspect of the present invention is a print control system that causes a printing apparatus to print a document transmitted from a terminal device, and a first position of a command source that instructs the document to be printed. If the distance from the second position where the printing device is installed exceeds a predetermined distance, or if the first position and the second position belong to different areas, the printed matter of the document is printed. Display control means for performing a display control process for displaying a screen requesting the command source to specify a recipient to receive, and an advertisement is output when the recipient is specified by the command source. As advertisement data for transmitting the advertisement data for outputting the advertisement according to the attribute of the recipient to the printing device, and the document for transmitting the document data for printing the document to the printing device And transmitting means.

  Preferably, the display control means performs the display control process when the recipient is not designated when the instruction source instructs the document to be printed.

  According to the present invention, an advertisement suitable for a user in cloud print can be provided more reliably than ever before.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a printing system. It is a figure which shows the example of the hardware constitutions of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the hardware constitutions of a cloud print server. It is a figure which shows the example of the hardware constitutions of a terminal device. It is a figure showing an example of functional composition of an image forming device. It is a figure which shows the example of a functional structure of a cloud print server. It is a figure which shows the example of a functional structure of a terminal device. It is a figure which shows the example of user data. It is a figure which shows the example of advertisement data. It is a figure which shows the example of multifunctional device data. It is a figure which shows the example of terminal data. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow of each of the image forming apparatus, the cloud print server, and the terminal device. It is a figure which shows the example of a cloud print screen. It is a figure which shows the example of an advertisement. It is a figure which shows the example of a dialog box. It is a figure which shows the example of job data. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of document print processing. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display form of advertisements in the image forming apparatus 1. It is a figure which shows the example of the display form of the advertisement in a terminal device. It is a figure which shows the example of the form of printing of an advertisement and a document.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the printing system 100. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the cloud print server 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the terminal device 3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 100 includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses 1, a cloud print server 2, a plurality of terminal devices 3, a communication line 4, and the like.

  The image forming apparatus 1, the cloud print server 2, and the terminal device 3 can communicate with each other via the communication line 4. As the communication line 4, a LAN (Local Area Network) line, the Internet, a mobile phone network, a public line, a dedicated line, or the like is used.

  The printing system 100 is a system for printing a document on paper. Also, when the document is printed, the advertisement is presented to the user. The operator of the printing system 100 can cover all or part of the operating cost of the printing system 100 by collecting an advertising fee from the advertiser.

  Hereinafter, a case where the printing system 100 is used in a certain company will be described as an example. Therefore, employees of this company are users of the printing system 100. Each user is given a unique user code in advance.

  In addition, each image forming apparatus 1 may be described separately as “image forming apparatus 1A”, “image forming apparatus 1B”,.... In some cases, each terminal device 3 is described as "terminal device 3A", "terminal device 3B",....

  The image forming apparatus 1 is an apparatus in which functions such as copy, PC print, cloud print, fax, scan, and box are integrated. Generally, it may be called a “multifunction peripheral” or “MFP (Multi Function Peripherals)”.

  The PC print function is a function of printing an image on paper based on image data received from a terminal device (terminal device 3 in this embodiment) without passing through a server. It is also called “network printing” or “network print”.

  The cloud print function is a function of printing a document using data received from a terminal device (terminal device 3 in this embodiment) via a server on the Internet (cloud print server 2 in this embodiment). ..

  The box function is a function in which a storage area called a “box” or a “personal box” is given to each user, and each user stores and manages image data and the like in his or her own storage area. It is also possible to provide a box for each group and share it with the members of the group. The box corresponds to a “folder” or a “directory” in a personal computer.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 10b, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 10c, an auxiliary storage device 10d, a touch panel display 10e, and an operation key panel 10f. , A NIC (Network Interface Card) 10g, a modem 10h, a scan unit 10i, a print unit 10j, a finisher 10k, and the like.

  Note that the touch panel display 10e is not provided in some of the image forming apparatuses 1. Hereinafter, a case where the image forming apparatus 1A is provided with the touch panel display 10e and the image forming apparatus 1B is not provided with the touch panel display 10e will be described as an example.

  The touch panel display 10e displays a screen showing a message to the user, a screen for the user to input a command or information, a screen showing the result of the processing executed by the CPU 10a, and the like. The touch panel display 10e also sends a signal indicating the touched position to the CPU 10a.

  The operation key panel 10f is a so-called hardware keyboard, and includes a numeric keypad, a start key, a stop key, a function key, and the like.

  The NIC 10g communicates with other devices using a protocol such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).

  The modem 10h exchanges image data with a fax terminal using a protocol such as G3.

  The scanning unit 10i reads an image written on a sheet set on the platen glass to generate image data.

  The print unit 10j prints the image read by the scan unit 10i and the image received from another device by the NIC 10g or the modem 10h on paper.

  The finisher 10k performs post-processing on the printed matter obtained by the print unit 10j, if necessary. The post-processing includes processing such as stapling, punching, and bending.

  The ROM 10c or the auxiliary storage device 10d stores programs for realizing the above-described functions such as copying. Further, the advertisement distribution program 10P (see FIG. 5) is stored. The advertisement distribution program 10P will be described later. These programs are loaded into the RAM 10b as needed and are executed by the CPU 10a. A hard disk drive, SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like is used as the auxiliary storage device 10d.

  The cloud print server 2 instructs the image forming apparatus 1 to print based on a request from the terminal device 3. Further, the advertisement is distributed to the terminal device 3 and the image forming apparatus 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cloud print server 2 includes a CPU 20a, a RAM 20b, a ROM 20c, a mass storage device 20d, a NIC 20e, and the like.

  The NIC 20e communicates with the image forming apparatus 1 or the terminal device 3 by using a protocol such as TCP/IP.

  A print mediation program 20P (see FIG. 6) is stored in the ROM 20c or the mass storage device 20d. A hard disk drive, SSD, or the like is used as the mass storage device 20d. The print mediation program 20P is loaded into the RAM 20b and executed by the CPU 20a. The print mediation program 20P will be described later.

  The terminal device 3 is a client of the image forming apparatus 1. The user can remotely use the function of the image forming apparatus 1 by the terminal device 3. Further, the terminal device 3 can also be used as a client of the cloud print server 2. One terminal device 3 is provided for each user.

  As the terminal device 3, a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or the like is used. Hereinafter, a case where a tablet computer is used as the terminal device 3 will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device 3 includes a CPU 30a, a RAM 30b, a ROM 30c, a flash memory 30d, a touch panel display 30e, an operation button group 30f, a wireless LAN communication device 30g, a mobile phone communication device 30h, a digital camera 30i, and the like. To be done.

  The touch panel display 30e displays various screens, detects a touched position, and notifies the CPU 30a of the position.

  The operation button group 30f includes a button for returning to a so-called home screen, a button for adjusting the volume, a button for switching the power on/off, and the like.

  The wireless LAN communication device 30g performs communication based on the wireless LAN standard, that is, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard.

  The mobile phone communication device 30h communicates via a so-called mobile phone network based on standards such as CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) 2000, W-CDMA (Wideband-CDMA), and LTE (Long Term Evolution).

  The digital camera 30i captures an image and generates image data. It is also possible to shoot a moving image and generate image data of the moving image.

  The ROM 30c or the flash memory 30d stores application programs for creating documents (for example, word processing software, spreadsheet software, drawing software), mailers, web browsers, and schedulers. Further, a program for remotely using the function of the image forming apparatus 1, for example, a printer driver is stored. Furthermore, a client program 30P (see FIG. 7) is stored. The client program 30P will be described later.

  These programs are loaded into the RAM 30b as needed and are executed by the CPU 30a.

  According to the advertisement distribution program 10P, the print mediation program 20P, and the client program 30P, it is possible to distribute a more suitable advertisement to the user during cloud printing than in the past. Hereinafter, this mechanism will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the cloud print server 2. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the terminal device 3.

  According to the advertisement distribution program 10P, the terminal data storage unit 101, the print job acquisition unit 102, the advertisement acquisition unit 103, the output method determination unit 104, the advertisement display unit 105, the advertisement transfer unit 106, the document printing unit 107, etc. shown in FIG. The function of is realized in the image forming apparatus 1.

  According to the print mediation program 20P, the user data storage unit 201, the advertisement data storage unit 202, the device data storage unit 203, the cloud print screen transmission unit 204, the first advertisement transmission unit 205, the print job generation unit 206 shown in FIG. Functions such as the delivery destination user inquiry unit 207, the print job transmission unit 208, and the second advertisement transmission unit 209 are realized in the cloud print server 2.

  According to the client program 30P, functions such as the cloud print screen request unit 301, the cloud print screen display unit 302, the advertisement display unit 303, the cloud print command reception unit 304, and the cloud print request unit 305 illustrated in FIG. Will be realized.

[Data prepared in advance]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the user data 5A. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the advertisement data 5B. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the multifunction peripheral data 5C. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the terminal data 5D. First, the data prepared in advance for the distribution of advertisements will be described.

  In the cloud print server 2, the user data storage unit 201 stores user data 5A for each user, as shown in FIG. The following information is shown in the user data 5A. The "user code" is the user code of the user who is given the user data 5A. The “user name” is the name of the user. “Affiliation department” is a department to which the user belongs. "Interest" is something that the user is interested in.

  The user data 5A is stored in the user data storage unit 201 in advance. Also, it is updated as appropriate according to a change or a change in interest.

  In the advertisement data storage unit 202, as shown in FIG. 9, for each advertisement (advertisement content) 6B, advertisement data 5B for reproducing the advertisement 6B includes an advertisement code identifying the advertisement 6B and the advertisement 6B. It is stored in advance in association with the target to be shown.

  As the advertisement data 5B, a file having a format such as PDF (Portable Document Format), GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), or TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is used.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the device data storage unit 203 stores in advance, for each image forming apparatus 1, the MFP address 5C indicating the IP address of the image forming apparatus 1 and the installation location (installation location). There is. In this embodiment, the installation location is represented by latitude and longitude.

  In the image forming apparatus 1, in the terminal data storage unit 101, as shown in FIG. 11, terminal data 5D indicating a user code and an identifier of the owning terminal device 3 is stored in advance for each user. In this embodiment, a case where an electronic mail address is used as an identifier will be described as an example.

  However, the terminal data 5D of some users may not be stored in the terminal data storage unit 101.

[Processing during cloud printing]
FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processing flow of each of the image forming apparatus 1, the cloud print server 2, and the terminal device 3. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the cloud print screen 6A. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the advertisement 6B. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the dialog box 6C. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the job data 5L. FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of document print processing. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the display form of the advertisement 6B in the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display form of the advertisement 6B on the terminal device 3. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a print form of the advertisement 6B and the document 6H.

  Next, a user operation and processing of each unit at the time of cloud printing will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

  A user prepares data of a document to be printed by cloud printing (hereinafter, referred to as “document 6H”) in the terminal device 3. For example, a PDF file of the document 6H (see FIG. 20) is prepared. deep.

  Further, the user operates his/her terminal device 3 to activate the client program 30P. Then, a predetermined command is input. Hereinafter, this user will be referred to as a "sending user". Further, a case where the terminal device 3 of the transmitting side user is the terminal device 3A will be described as an example.

  When the client program 30P is activated in the terminal device 3A, the cloud print screen requesting unit 301 to the cloud print requesting unit 305 perform the following processing.

  When the cloud print screen request unit 301 receives an input of a predetermined command (#701 in FIG. 12), it requests the data of the cloud print screen 6A from the cloud print server 2 (#702). At this time, the cloud print screen request unit 301 transmits screen request data 5E indicating the user code of the sending user to the cloud print server 2.

  The "cloud print screen 6A" is a screen for inputting cloud print conditions and commands, as shown in FIG. Details of the cloud print screen 6A will be described later.

  In the cloud print server 2, when the screen request data 5E is transmitted from the terminal device 3A (#721), the cloud print screen transmission unit 204 transmits the screen data 5F for displaying the cloud print screen 6A to the terminal device 3A. Yes (#722).

  Further, the first advertisement transmitting unit 205 performs the processing of transmitting the advertisement data 5B of the advertisement 6B suitable for the transmitting side user to the terminal device 3A as follows (#723).

  The first advertisement transmitting unit 205 searches the user data storage unit 201 for user data 5A indicating the user code shown in the screen request data 5E. The advertisement data storage unit 202 is searched for the advertisement data 5B of the advertisement 6B corresponding to the department or interest shown in the user data 5A.

  For example, the first advertisement transmitting unit 205 searches the advertisement data 5B in which the word indicating the interest is shown. Alternatively, the advertisement data 5B associated with the department to which the department belongs is searched.

  Then, the first advertisement transmitting unit 205 transmits the retrieved advertisement data 5B to the terminal device 3A.

  In the terminal device 3A, when the cloud print screen display unit 302 receives the screen data 5F (#703), the cloud print screen display unit 302 displays the cloud print screen 6A on the touch panel display 30e based on the screen data 5F (#704).

  Further, when the advertisement display unit 303 receives the advertisement data 5B (#705), the screen on which the advertisement 6B is arranged is superimposed on the cloud print screen 6A as shown in FIG. 14 based on the advertisement data 5B, and the touch panel display is displayed. It is displayed on 30e (#706).

  Here, the transmitting user reads the advertisement 6B. After reading, select the close button 6B1 on this screen.

  Then, the advertisement display unit 303 ends displaying the screen of the advertisement 6B. As a result, the entire cloud print screen 6A appears again.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 13, two tabs 6A11 and 6A12 are provided on the cloud print screen 6A. When the tab 6A11 is selected, the cloud print screen display unit 302 switches the cloud print screen 6A to the first mode for setting the printing conditions as shown in FIG. 13A.

  The text box 6A2 is a text box for designating the data of the document 6H. The transmitting-side user specifies the prepared data identifier (for example, file name) by inputting it in the text box 6A2.

  The setting area 6A3 is an area for designating which page of the pages forming the document 6H is to be printed. If the sending user wants to print all pages, he/she selects the radio button to the left of the character string “all”. If you want to print only a part of the pages, select the radio button to the left of the "Page designation" character string, and then enter the number of the page you want to print in the text box to the right of the character string.

  The setting area 6A4 is an area for designating the printing surface of the document 6H. When the user on the transmitting side wants to print on only one side of the paper, he/she selects the radio button on the left side of the character string of “one side”. If you want to print on both sides, select the radio button to the left of the character string "Duplex".

  The setting area 6A5 is an area for designating a printing color. When the user on the transmitting side wants to print the document 6H in full color, he/she selects the radio button on the left side of the character string of “full color”. To print the document 6H in monochrome, select the radio button to the left of the "monochrome" character string.

  On the other hand, when the tab 6A12 is selected, the cloud print screen display unit 302 causes the cloud print screen 6A to print the document 6H as shown in FIG. 13B. The device is switched to the second mode for setting a device to which the printed matter of the document 6H is given (hereinafter, referred to as a “delivery destination user”).

  The setting area 6A6 is an area for designating a delivery destination device. The sending user specifies the delivery destination device by selecting the corresponding radio button.

  The setting area 6A7 is an area for designating a delivery destination user. The sending user specifies the delivery destination user by selecting the corresponding radio button.

  The default mode of the cloud print screen 6A is the first mode. The cloud print screen display unit 302 displays the cloud print screen 6A in the first mode when the screen data 5F is received.

  The user on the transmitting side presses the execute button 6A8 after appropriately designating or selecting these items.

  Then, the cloud print request unit 305 receives the designated or selected content (#707), and transmits the print request data 5G, the document data 5H, and the current location data 5I to the cloud print server 2 (#708).

  The print request data 5G indicates the received contents (print range condition, print surface condition, color condition, IP address of the delivery destination device, user code of the delivery destination user, etc.). The document data 5H is the data designated in the text box 6A2, that is, the data of the document 6H. The current location data 5I indicates the current location and the IP address of the terminal device 3A itself, as well as the user code of the user who owns the terminal device 3A.

  In addition, when the transmission side user himself/herself acquires the printed matter of the document 6H, he/she may set himself/herself as the distribution destination user. Alternatively, the delivery destination user may not be set. When the delivery destination user is not set, the user code of the delivery destination user is not shown in the print request data 5G.

  In the cloud print server 2, when the print job generation unit 206 receives the print request data 5G, the document data 5H, and the current location data 5I (#724), the print job generation unit 206 cooperates with the delivery destination user inquiry unit 207 based on these data. Then, the process of generating the data of the cloud print job is performed as follows.

  The delivery destination user inquiry unit 207 determines whether or not the current location of the terminal device 3A and the installation location of the delivery destination device are separated by a predetermined distance (for example, 20 meters) or more (#725). The current location of the terminal device 3A is indicated by the current location data 5I. The IP address of the delivery destination device is shown in the print request data 5G, and the installation location of the delivery destination device is shown in the multifunction device data 5C (see FIG. 10) showing the IP address.

  When the current location of the terminal device 3A and the installation location of the delivery destination device are separated by a predetermined distance or more, but the user code of the delivery destination user is not shown in the print request data 5G, the delivery destination user inquiry is made. The unit 207 makes an inquiry about the delivery destination user to the terminal device 3A (#726). At this time, the inquiry data 5J for displaying the dialog box 6C is transmitted to the terminal device 3A.

  In the terminal device 3A, when the cloud print screen display unit 302 receives the inquiry data 5J (#709), the cloud print screen 6A is displayed in the second mode and the delivery destination user is set as shown in FIG. A dialog box 6C urging the user to do so is displayed over the cloud print screen 6A (#710).

  After confirming the dialog box 6C, the sending user closes the dialog box 6C and sets a delivery destination user in the setting area 6A7 as necessary. Then, the execute button 6A8 is pressed. The execute button 6A8 may be pressed without setting the delivery destination user.

  When the setting button 6A8 is pressed, the delivery destination user response unit 306 accepts the content of the setting (#711) and transmits the response data 5K to the cloud print server 2 (#712).

  The response data 5K shows the user code of the set delivery destination user. However, if the delivery destination user is not set, the user code is not shown.

  Note that the terminal device 3A may display a screen different from the cloud print screen 6A in step #711 to set the delivery destination user to the transmission side user.

  Then, the delivery destination user inquiry unit 207 receives the response data 5K from the terminal device 3A (#727).

  If the distance between the current location of the terminal device 3A and the installation location of the delivery destination device is less than the predetermined distance, or if the user code of the delivery destination user is indicated in the print request data 5G, steps #709 to #712. And the processes of steps #726 to #727 are skipped.

  In the cloud print server 2, the print job generation unit 206 generates job data 5L for printing the document shown in the document data 5H, that is, the document 6H according to the conditions shown in the print request data 5G, and the cloud print job data. Is generated (#728). The job data 5L may be described in a known language, for example, PJL (Printer Job Language).

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the job data 5L further describes the IP address and the current location of the terminal device 3A and the user code that owns the terminal device 3A (hereinafter referred to as “transmission side user code”). ), the user code of the delivery destination user (hereinafter, referred to as “delivery destination user code”). These are shown in the current position data 5I or the print request data 5G. If the current location is not shown in the current location data 5I, and if the current location is shown in the response data 5K, the print job generating unit 206 generates the job data 5L as shown. If neither the current location data 5I nor the response data 5K indicates the current location, the job data 5L is generated so that the current location is not displayed.

  When the print job generation unit 206 generates the job data 5L, the print job transmission unit 208 transmits the job data 5L to the image forming apparatus 1 which is the delivery destination device indicated by the print request data 5G, thereby performing printing. Request (#729).

  The print job transmission unit 208 may transmit the job data 5L to the image forming apparatus 1 regardless of whether there is a request from the image forming apparatus 1. Alternatively, it may be transmitted after a request from the image forming apparatus 1. That is, so-called push distribution may be performed, or so-called pull distribution may be performed.

  Hereinafter, a case where the print job transmitting unit 208 transmits the job data 5L to the image forming apparatus 1A will be described as an example.

  In the image forming apparatus 1A, the print job acquisition unit 102 acquires the job data 5L from the cloud print server 2 (#741). The job data 5L transmitted from the cloud print server 2 may be acquired without requesting the cloud print server 2. The job data 5L may be downloaded from the cloud print server 2 by requesting the cloud print server 2 periodically or when a predetermined command is input.

  Then, the advertisement acquisition unit 103 to the document printing unit 107 of the image forming apparatus 1A execute a process of outputting the document 6H and the advertisement 6B (#742). The procedure of this processing is as shown in FIG.

  When the print job acquisition unit 102 acquires the job data 5L, the advertisement acquisition unit 103 selects the advertisement 6B to be output and acquires the advertisement data 5B as follows.

  The advertisement acquisition unit 103 checks whether or not the distance between the current location (in this example, the current location of the terminal device 3A) indicated by the job data 5L and the installation location of the image forming apparatus 1A itself is a predetermined distance or more ( #751 in FIG. 17). Further, it is checked whether or not the transmission-side user code shown in the job data 5L and the delivery-destination user code match (#752).

  When the distance between the current location indicated by the job data 5L and the installation location of the image forming apparatus 1A itself is less than a predetermined distance, that is, when the terminal device 3A is in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus 1A (Yes in #753). The advertisement acquisition unit 103 requests the cloud print server 2 for the advertisement data 5B of the advertisement 6B suitable for the sending user, and downloads it from the cloud print server 2 (#754). When making a request, the advertisement request data 5M is transmitted to the cloud print server 2. Here, in the advertisement request data 5M, the user code of the transmitting side user is shown.

  On the other hand, if the distance between the current location indicated by the job data 5L and the installation location of the image forming apparatus 1A is a predetermined distance or more, that is, if the terminal device 3A is not near the image forming apparatus 1A (#753, No), the advertisement acquisition unit 103 acquires the advertisement data 5B as follows according to the result of the check in step #752.

  If the sending user code and the delivery destination user code match, that is, if the sending user has instructed cloud printing for himself (Yes in #755), the advertisement acquisition unit 103 determines that the image forming apparatus 1A itself. The advertisement data 5B of the advertisement 6B suitable for the department in which is installed is requested to the cloud print server 2 and downloaded from the cloud print server 2 (#756). At the time of request, data indicating this department is transmitted to the cloud print server 2 as the advertisement request data 5M. Similarly, when the delivery destination user code is not indicated in the job data 5L, the advertisement data 5B of the advertisement 6B suitable for this department is downloaded.

  Alternatively, when the transmission-side user code and the distribution-destination user code are different, that is, when the transmission-side user issues a cloud print command for another user (No in #755), the advertisement acquisition unit 103 distributes The advertisement data 5B of the advertisement 6B suitable for the previous user is requested to the cloud print server 2 and downloaded from the cloud print server 2 (#757). At the time of request, data indicating the user code of the delivery destination user is transmitted to the cloud print server 2 as the advertisement request data 5M.

  In the cloud print server 2, when the second advertisement transmitting unit 209 receives the advertisement request data 5M from the image forming apparatus 1A, the second advertisement transmitting unit 209 transmits the advertisement data 5B to the image forming apparatus 1A based on the advertisement request data 5M as follows. (Step #730 in FIG. 12).

  When the user code is indicated in the advertisement request data 5M, the second advertisement transmitting unit 209 searches the user data storage unit 201 for the user data 5A indicating the user code. Similar to the first advertisement transmitting unit 205, the advertisement data storage unit 202 is searched for the advertisement data 5B of the advertisement 6B corresponding to the department or interest shown in the user data 5A. Then, the searched advertisement data 5B is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1A.

  Alternatively, when the department is indicated in the advertisement request data 5M, the second advertisement transmitting unit 209 searches the advertisement data storage unit 202 for the advertisement data 5B of the advertisement 6B corresponding to the department. Then, the searched advertisement data 5B is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1A.

  When the advertisement acquisition unit 103 acquires the advertisement data 5B in the image forming apparatus 1A, the output method determination unit 104, the advertisement display unit 105, the advertisement transfer unit 106, and the document printing unit 107 output the advertisement 6B and the document 6H. The processing is performed as follows.

  When an image can be displayed on the touch panel display 10e, that is, when the image forming apparatus 1A includes the touch panel display 10e and is in a state capable of displaying an image (Yes in #758), the output method is determined. The unit 104 determines that the output method of the advertisement 6B is “display”, and the advertisement display unit 105 displays the advertisement 6B on the touch panel display 10e based on the advertisement data 5B as shown in FIG. 18 (#759).

  The document printing unit 107 prints the document 6H on paper based on the job data 5L in parallel with or before or after the process of displaying the advertisement 6B (#760).

  When the image cannot be displayed (No in #758), but the terminal data 5D (see FIG. 11) of the target person who shows the advertisement 6B is stored in the terminal data storage unit 101 (Yes in #761), The output method determination unit 104 determines the output method of the advertisement 6B to be "transfer", and the advertisement transfer unit 106 attaches the advertisement data 5B to the electronic mail addressed to the electronic mail address shown in the terminal data 5D. And transfer (#762).

  Then, in the terminal device 3, the advertisement display unit 303 displays the advertisement 6B on the touch panel display 30e based on the advertisement data 5B, as shown in FIG.

  The "target person who shows the advertisement 6B" is a delivery destination user when the advertisement data 5B is acquired in step #757. When the advertisement data 5B is acquired in step #754 or #756, the user is the transmitting side.

  The document printing unit 107 prints the document 6H on paper based on the job data 5L in parallel with or before or after the process of transferring the advertisement data 5B (#763).

  When the image cannot be displayed (No in #758) and the terminal data 5D of the target person who shows the advertisement 6B is not stored in the terminal data storage unit 101 (No in #761), the output method is determined. The unit 104 determines the printing method of the advertisement 6B to be "print", and the document printing unit 107 prints the document 6H on the paper together with the advertisement 6B based on the advertisement data 5B and the job data 5L (#764).

  For example, the advertisement 6B may be printed on the first sheet and the document 6H may be printed on the second and subsequent sheets. Alternatively, when the document 6H has only one page, the document 6H may be printed on the front (front) side of the sheet and the advertisement 6B may be printed on the back side of the sheet. Alternatively, the document 6H and the advertisement 6B may be printed on the same side. In this case, a banner may be printed as the advertisement 6B. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 20, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a website that introduces products may be printed. The cloud print server 2 may deliver, as the advertisement data 5B, the data of the advertisement 6B to be printed on a surface different from the document 6H and the data of the banner or the URL used as the advertisement 6B to the image forming apparatus 1A.

  Note that in step #756, the image forming apparatus 1 may download the advertisement data 5B of the advertisement 6B suitable for the sending user.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to more reliably provide the user with the advertisement suitable for the user in the cloud print than in the past. As a result, for the advertiser, the effect of the advertisement can be enhanced more than ever before. In addition, the user can more reliably touch the information of interest than before.

  In the present embodiment, a process of transmitting the advertisement data 5B to each of the image forming apparatus 1 and the terminal device 3, and a process of receiving the document data 5H from the terminal device 3 and converting it into job data 5L and transmitting the job data 5L to the image forming apparatus 1. Although the above is performed by the cloud print server 2, these processes may be performed by being distributed to different servers.

  In the present embodiment, the terminal device 3 displays the advertisement 6B when displaying the cloud print screen 6A (see FIG. 14). That is, the advertisement 6B was displayed before the print instruction was received. However, the advertisement 6B may be displayed after receiving the print command.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits the advertisement data 5B to the terminal device 3 by e-mail, but it may be transmitted by a messenger or an SNS (Social Networking Service).

  In the present embodiment, the cloud print server 2 determines the advertisement 6B to be output in the image forming apparatus 1 in accordance with the attribute (for example, department) of the delivery destination user or the transmitting side user, but the image forming apparatus 1 determines. You may. Alternatively, although the cloud print server 2 determines the attribute of the delivery destination user or the transmission side user, the image forming apparatus 1 may determine the attribute. Then, the image forming apparatus 1 may notify the cloud print server 2 of the determined attribute when requesting the advertisement.

The cloud print server 2 does not wait for a request from the image forming apparatus 1 and
The advertisement data 5B of the advertisement 6B suitable for the sending side user, the delivery destination user, and the department in which the image forming apparatus 1A itself is installed may be collectively transmitted when the job data 5L is transmitted.

  Then, the image forming apparatus 1 checks the result of whether or not the distance between the current location indicated by the job data 5L and the installation location of the image forming apparatus 1A is a predetermined distance or more, and the job data 5L. The advertisement data 5B may be selected and the advertisement 6B may be output according to the result of checking whether or not the sending side user code and the delivery destination user code match.

  In the present embodiment, if the user code of the delivery destination user is not indicated in the print request data 5G, the cloud print server 2 determines that the current location of the terminal device 3 and the installation location of the image forming apparatus 1 that is the delivery destination device are predetermined. When it is more than the distance of, the delivery destination user is inquired to the terminal device 3. However, the inquiry may be made when the terminal device 3 and the image forming apparatus 1 are not in the same network segment. Whether or not they are not in the same network can be determined by a known method based on the IP addresses of the terminal device 3 and the image forming apparatus 1. Alternatively, an inquiry may be made when the areas are not in the same area (eg, floor or building).

  Similarly, in step #751 of FIG. 17, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether or not the distance between the current location of the terminal device 3 and the installation location of the image forming apparatus 1 itself is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. 3 and the image forming apparatus 1 itself may be checked whether they are in the same network segment. Alternatively, it may be checked whether they are not in the same area.

  If the image forming apparatus 1 is not in the same network segment or area, the image forming apparatus 1 determines that the distance is equal to or more than a predetermined distance and performs the subsequent processing.

  In addition, the configuration of the printing system 100, the image forming apparatus 1, the cloud print server 2, and the terminal device 3 as a whole or each part, the processing content, the processing order, the data configuration, the screen configuration, etc. are in accordance with the gist of the present invention. Can be changed as appropriate.

100 Printing system (advertising system)
1 Image forming device (printing device)
104 output method determination unit (output means)
105 advertisement display unit (output means)
106 Advertisement Transfer Section (Output Means)
107 document printing unit (output means)
10e Touch panel display (display)
2 Cloud print server (print control system)
205 First advertisement transmitting unit (second advertisement transmitting means)
207 Delivery user inquiry section (display control means)
208 Print job transmission unit (document transmission means)
209 Second advertisement transmitting unit (advertising transmitting means)
3 Terminal device (command source)
30e Touch panel display (display means)
5B Advertising data 5L Job data (document data)
6B Advertisement 6C Dialog box (screen)
6H document

Claims (9)

An advertisement providing system that outputs an advertisement when a document is printed by a printing device,
The distance between the first position where the command is issued to print the document and the second position where the printing device is installed exceeds a predetermined distance, or the first position and the second position. Display means for displaying a screen requesting the command source to specify the recipient who should receive the printed matter of the document when the positions of the above belong to different areas,
Output means for outputting an advertisement according to the attribute of the designated recipient when the document is printed by the printing device;
An advertisement providing system comprising: The output means outputs the advertisement by displaying it on the display if the printing device has a display, and if not, transfers the advertisement to the recipient's terminal device or prints it together with the document. Output by
The advertisement providing system according to claim 1. A print control system for causing a printing device to print a document transmitted from a terminal device,
The distance between the first position where the command is issued to print the document and the second position where the printing device is installed exceeds a predetermined distance, or the first position and the second position. Display control means for performing a display control process for displaying a screen requesting the command source to specify a recipient who should receive the printed matter of the document when the positions of the two belong to different areas.
When the recipient is designated by the command source, as advertisement data for outputting an advertisement, advertisement transmitting means for transmitting data for outputting an advertisement according to the attribute of the recipient to the printing device. ,
Document transmitting means for transmitting document data for printing the document to the printing device;
A print control system comprising: The display control unit performs the display control process when the recipient is not designated when the instruction source instructs the document to be printed,
The print control system according to claim 3. When the advertisement sending unit requests the recipient to be designated but is not designated, the advertisement transmitting unit transmits the advertisement data according to the attribute of the command source as the advertisement data,
The print control system according to claim 3 or 4. When the command source is designated as the recipient, the advertisement transmitting unit uses the attribute of the place where the printing device is installed instead of the data for outputting the advertisement according to the attribute of the recipient. Data for outputting a corresponding advertisement is transmitted as the advertisement data,
The print control system according to any one of claims 3 to 5. A second advertisement transmitting means for transmitting to the command source the advertisement data corresponding to the attribute of the command source as the advertisement data to the command source;
The print control system according to any one of claims 3 to 6. An advertisement providing method for outputting an advertisement when a document is printed by a printing device,
The distance between the first position where the command is issued to print the document and the second position where the printing device is installed exceeds a predetermined distance, or the first position and the second position. If the position of belongs to a different area from each other, a screen for requesting to the command source to specify the recipients should receive the prints of the documents computer is displayed,
The printing device prints the document on paper,
The computer outputs an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the designated recipient,
An advertisement providing method comprising: A computer program used by a computer for causing a printing device to print a document transmitted from a terminal device,
On the computer,
The distance between the first position where the command is issued to print the document and the second position where the printing device is installed exceeds a predetermined distance, or the first position and the second position. When the positions of belong to areas different from each other, execute the process of requesting the command source to specify the recipient who should receive the printed matter of the document,
When the recipient is designated by the command source, as the advertisement data for outputting the advertisement, the processing for transmitting the data for outputting the advertisement according to the attribute of the recipient to the printing device is executed. ,
Causing a process of transmitting document data for printing the document to the printing device,
A computer program characterized by the above.

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